Officer Report on Planning Application: 15/00425/S73A

Officer Report on Planning Application: 15/00425/S73A
Proposal :
Application to vary planning condition 2 (hours of shoot) of
approval 00/02600/COU to extend the hours shooting can take
place (GR 354440/126123)
Site Address:
Parish:
IVELCHESTER Ward
(SSDC Member)
Recommending Case
Officer:
Land At Higher Farm Higher Farm Lane
Yeovilton
Cllr A Capozzoli
Target date :
Applicant :
Agent:
Application Type :
Mrs Jennie Roberts
Tel: (01935) 462441 Email:
jennie.roberts@southsomerset.gov.uk
30th March 2015
Podimore Shooting School
Boon Brown Architects Motivo
Alvington Yeovil, BA20 2FG
Other
REASON FOR REFERRAL TO COMMITTEE
This application is brought before Area East Committee at the request of the Ward Member
and Area Chair.
SITE DESCRIPTION AND PROPOSAL
Podimore Shooting School is located outside of any development area, to the north of
Podimore.
In 2002, planning permission was granted by the Planning Committee for the use of the land as
a clay pigeon shooting ground; this was conditioned as follows:
"Shooting shall take place only on Wednesdays between the hours of 9.00 and 19.00 with a
maximum duration of 6 hours.
Reason: To safeguard local residents from noise and disturbance."
This application seeks to vary this condition, to allow for extended shooting hours as follows:
"Shooting shall take place on;
Wednesdays 10am to 5pm
Saturdays 10am to 4.30pm
Sundays 10am to 3pm limited to one Sunday per calendar month
The shot to be fired shall not exceed 28 grammes in weight and the number, siting and
direction of stands shall be as set out by plan 3391-001 unless otherwise agreed in writing with
the planning authority."
An application for a Certificate of Lawfulness has also been submitted, which seeks to prove
that these extended hours have been operating for a period of 10 years or more, and as such,
that they may continue to operate in this way by default.
RELEVANT HISTORY
15/01223/COL - Application for a lawful development certificate for the existing use of land for
clay pigeon shooting - pending
00/02600/COU - The use of land as a clay pigeon shooting ground - conditional approval 26/11/2002
POLICY
The South Somerset Local Plan (2006 - 2028) was adopted on the 5th March 2015. In
accordance with Section 38(6) of the Planning and Compulsory Purchase Act 2004 (as
amended) and Section 70(2) of the Town and Country Planning Act 1990 (as amended), the
adopted local plan now forms part of the development plan. As such, decisions on the award of
planning permission should be made in accordance with this development plan, unless
material considerations indicate otherwise. Legislation and national policy are clear that the
starting point for decision-making is the development plan, where development that accords
with an up-to-date local plan should be approved, and proposed development that conflicts
should be refused, unless other material considerations indicate otherwise.
The following policies are considered relevant:South Somerset Local Plan (2006-2028)
SD1 (Sustainable Development)
SS2 (Development in Rural Settlements)
EP4 (Expansion of Existing Businesses in the Countryside)
TA6 (Parking Standards)
EQ2 (General Development)
EQ7 (Pollution Control)
National Planning Policy Framework
Chapter 1 - Building a strong, competitive economy
Chapter 3 - Supporting a prosperous rural economy
Chapter 8 - Promoting healthy communities
National Planning Practice Guidance
- Noise
Somerset County Council Parking Strategy (March 2012) and Standing Advice (June 2013)
CONSULTATIONS
Parish Council - Recommends refusal due to the noise impact on Podimore residents
County Highway Authority - Standing Advice
Environmental Protection - Recommends refusal of the application due to the increased risk
of harm to local amenity and possible noise nuisance.
MOD (In relation To nearby Yeovilton Airbase) - Committee to be advised of the response
once it has been received
REPRESENTATIONS
Objections
19 letters/emails of objection have been received in relation to this application. The majority of
these are from residents who live locally to the site. Reasons why they would like the
application refused include:
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In the past 18 months, there has been a dramatic increase in frequency of shots,
volume of shots and number of days shooting
The closure of Southern Counties Shooting off the A37 has seen a dramatic
increase in the number of people attending the Podimore venue by car, which is a
safety concern for pedestrians walking in Podimore village and up Higher Farm
Lane
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On competition days, as many as 1 shot per second for many hours have been
heard from inside a house 600m away which is double glazed and insulated
Horses that residents own are disturbed and spooked by the shots
The noise from shooting at the weekend makes it impossible for residents to relax
outside and enjoy their gardens - weekends should be a time when residents can
relax and enjoy their homes after working hard all week. The increase in shooting
times adversely affects residents' much cherished weekends.
The shoot is not in line with the Chartered Institute of Environmental Health's
guidelines for Clay Shooting, in that there should be a minimum of 1km between
stands and residential property
The noise from the shoot is causing such stress to some residents that they are
considering moving house
The noise from the shoot negatively affects both residents and visitors alike, and
detracts from the natural beauty of the area
The noise from the shoot is intrusive and affects residents' lifestyles
The noise from the shoot frightens livestock
The continuous popping and banging from the clay being fired and shot at is very
annoying and extremely loud
The noise from the shoot is prolonged and excessive and is a nuisance to residents'
wellbeing
The noise from the shoot is affecting a resident's ability to study for his 'A' levels
Support
20 letters/emails of support have been received. At least 19 of these are from people who do
not live locally to the site. Reasons they would like the application approved include:
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The clay pigeon shoot has been in operation at the site for 24 years
The ground is an important facility in the south-west of England, where there is a
paucity of good shooting facilities, and two Olympic gold medallists have trained at
the site
The facility should be supported due to its longevity and importance to an Olympic
sport in which our country has achieved notable successes
The facility adds to the appeal of South Somerset as a leisure attraction and
contributes to the business of local hotels and restaurants
Most major shooting competitions are held on a Sunday because it is outside of the
working week and competitors can commit to attendance
Noise pollution is minimal, due to the maximum shot load allowed being 28g
The ground is thriving with wildlife
The ground is situated between two busy A roads and has the Yeovilton airbase
nearby, and as such, noise from the clay target shooting school is insignificant
Clay shooting is beneficial in teaching discipline, self control and confidence to
young people
Neutral
2 letters/emails have been received which neither support nor object to the proposal. Both are
live locally to the site, and both state that the times applied for should not be exceeded.
ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT ASSESSMENT
None required
CONSIDERATIONS
The main issue when considering this application to extend the hours for shooting is that of
noise and its impact on the residential amenity of local properties.
The Shooting School has already been operating outside its permitted times, and as such, is in
breach of the planning condition which restricts shooting to Wednesdays. The Local Planning
Authority was first made aware of this breach over a year ago, when various complaints about
noise and disturbance caused by the shooting were received from a number of local residents.
An enforcement case was subsequently set up, and the Council's Environmental Protection
team were informed of the issue. Over the past year, the Environmental Protection officer
(EPO) has worked with the complainants and the applicant to try to resolve the amenity issues,
and various noise readings were taken. Noise complaints persisted, and as the applicant
wished to continue shooting outside of the approved hours, he was invited to submit a S73a
application. The EPO advised that a noise assessment to determine the likely impact on
surrounding settlements and nearby dwellings shoud be conducted and submitted with the
application. No noise assessment has been submitted with the application, despite reference
being made to this within the agent's supporting statement on pages 5 and 6.
The EPO was consulted on the application and commented as follows:
"Environmental Health has been in pre-application discussions with the applicant regarding
this matter. During those discussion I raised concerns due to the potential for loss of amenity
and possible Statutory Nuisance due to extending the permitted hours of shooting. During the
pre-application discussions the applicant agreed to conduct and submit a noise assessment to
determine the likely impact on surrounding settlements and nearby dwellings. It is my
understanding that this assessment has not yet been submitted. Without this information I
would have to take a precautionary approach and recommend against approval of the
application due to the increased risk of harm to local amenity and possible noise nuisance."
In addition to the recommendation for refusal from the EPO, the Parish Council has also
opposed the application, due to the noise impact on local residents. It noted that noise impact
had increased during the past few months for Podimore Village. This is backed up by the
substantial number of objections received from nearby residents, as described in the
'Representations' section, above.
Whilst many letter of support have also been received, it is noted that the majority of these are
from people who do not live in settlements local to the shooting school.
CONCLUSION
Many local residents have stated that their home life is being made intolerable by the increase
in shooting hours that has occurred, and the Environmental Protection Officer has
recommended refusal of the application. Having regard to the above, it is considered that the
application has failed to demonstrate that the extension of hours would not be detrimental to
the residential amenity of the local settlements and dwellings, and as such the proposal is
unacceptable and should be refused.
RECOMMENDATION
Refuse to vary condition 2 of permission 00/02600/COU
FOR THE FOLLOWING REASON
01.
The application has failed to demonstrate that the variation to this permitted shooting
hours would not be detrimental to the residential amenity of local settlements and
dwellings in terms of noise and disturbance. As such, the proposal is contrary to policies
EQ2 and EQ7 of the South Somerset Local Plan (2006-2028) and the National Planning
Policy Framework 2012.